By Donna Smith, University Communications and Marketing
Each year during commencement, USF bestows some of its highest honors to outstanding individuals who have made essential contributions to USF and the community. This spring, the individuals selected represent the university’s many collaborations in health care and economic development.
“One of my honors as president of the University of South Florida is to recognize highly deserving individuals with awards of distinction,” President Rhea Law said. “I am particularly excited about this group of recipients as they reflect USF’s deep commitment to partnerships that lead to greater prosperity in our communities. Each of them is making a lasting impact in different ways, and their leadership is helping to elevate the Tampa Bay region and our state.”
President’s Fellow Medallion
Established in 1988, this award is bestowed at the USF president’s discretion and recognizes distinguished visitors and other individuals of high regard.
John Couris
President and CEO of the Florida Health Sciences Center
John Couris is a proud USF Bull who earned a doctorate in business administration/management sciences from the USF Muma College of Business, where he is a research fellow. As leader of the Florida Health Sciences Center, he oversees an array of organizations, including Tampa General Hospital, one of the nation’s leading not-for-profit academic health systems and the primary teaching hospital of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. Couris is recognized as a national expert in health care as well as organizational leadership, workplace culture transformation and management. He collaborates closely with and provides counsel to elected officials at all levels to help address issues impacting the health care industry in the Tampa Bay region, the state of Florida and across the nation.
Dr. Patrick Hwu
President and CEO, Moffitt Cancer Center
Dr. Patrick Hwu is an internationally recognized tumor immunologist who has led pioneering research and clinical efforts to better understand the interactions between tumors and the immune system. He helped launch the field of gene-modified T cells, and his work focuses on vaccines, adoptive T-cell therapies and immune resistance. Prior to joining Moffitt, Hwu was the head of the Division of Cancer Medicine at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, where he held various leadership roles for 17 years.
Distinguished Citizen Award
This award recognizes individuals who have rendered distinguished public service to the people of Florida.
Darryl Shaw
CEO, Casa Ybor
Darryl Shaw’s passion for seeing the Ybor City historic district revitalized into one of America’s great neighborhoods has become the driving force behind Ybor City’s Gas Worx development – a 5 million-square-foot, mixed-use project that will link downtown Tampa, the Channel District and the Latin Quarter. A co-founder and former CEO of BluePearl Specialty & Emergency Hospital for Pets, Shaw led the company from 1996, when he and his brother opened their first hospital in Tampa, to 2022, when he stepped down to focus solely on Ybor City. In that time, the pair took BluePearl national, with more than 100 locations.
Jason Mathis
CEO, St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership
During Jason Mathis’ time as leader, the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership, a private, nonprofit urban development organization formed to acquire the land that became the USF St. Petersburg campus, has contributed nearly $2 million to USF programs centered around USF’s College of Marine Science. In addition to his work with the partnership, Mathis also serves in board leadership positions with the St. Petersburg Innovation District and St. Petersburg Arts Alliance. He was part of the St. Petersburg cohort for the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative focused on redevelopment of Tropicana Field, and he currently serves as a member of the Community Benefits Advisory Committee for the city of St. Petersburg and helped to launch the St. Petersburg Leadership Alliance.
Ralph C. Wilcox Outstanding Graduate Award
Selected by the Office of the Provost and the division of Student Success, recipients of this award embody leadership, school spirit, academic excellence, community involvement and a love for USF.
Bethany Jowers
USF King O’Neal Scholar
Bethany Jowers is graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in biomedical sciences and a Bachelor of Arts degree in world languages and cultures with a concentration in Spanish and Latin American studies. She is a Dean’s List student with a 4.0 GPA in both of her degree programs and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
A member of the Judy Genshaft Honors College, Jowers worked with the Tampa General Hospital Transplant Institute for two years and was recognized by the USF Office of High-Impact Practices and Undergraduate Research as the inaugural Student of the Year. Jowers also published two research articles, completed a grant-funded community health survey for her honors thesis while studying abroad in the Dominican Republic and co-founded an undergraduate volunteer group for the USF Health Ybor Youth Clinic.
Jowers served as president of the USF Undergraduate American Medical Women’s Association for two years and is currently serving as a co-executive director of the public health team at the USF Bridge Clinic. She will return to USF this fall to start her master’s degree program in medical anthropology and ultimately plans to earn a dual medical/Ph.D. degree to become a physician and social scientist.